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Review
. 2025 Jul 17;26(1):164.
doi: 10.1186/s10194-025-02098-w.

Hallmarks of primary headache: part 2- Tension-type headache

Affiliations
Review

Hallmarks of primary headache: part 2- Tension-type headache

Li-Ling Hope Pan et al. J Headache Pain. .

Abstract

Background and aim: Tension-type headache is the most prevalent primary headache disorder. While the episodic subtype is more common, chronic tension-type headache significantly impacts health-related quality of life and contribute to increased healthcare utilization and disability. Despite considerable advances in the understanding of tension-type headache, critical gaps persist. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the hallmarks of tension-type headache, from its pathophysiology, comorbidities, treatment options, to psychosocial impact.

Main results: Multiple factors are associated with tension-type headache, including peripheral mechanisms (increased muscle tenderness and myofascial trigger points), central sensitization, genetic predisposition, and psychological comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. Neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies demonstrated altered pain processing in cortical and subcortical regions in patients with tension-type headache. Regarding treatment strategy, in addition to pharmacological treatment, novel insights into non-pharmacological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, neuromodulation techniques, physical therapy, mindfulness, lifestyle management, and patient education were highlighted as valuable components of comprehensive management strategies.

Conclusions: A complex interplay between peripheral and central mechanisms and psychosocial stressors underpins tension-type headache. Integrated multidisciplinary approaches combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are critical for optimal patient outcomes. Further research should continue to refine the understanding of these mechanisms to improve targeted therapeutic strategies and reduce the global burden of tension-type headache.

Keywords: Disease burden; Non-pharmacological treatments; Primary headache; Tension-type headache.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: • Chen, Chu, Coppola, Della Pietra, Dong, Ekizoglu, Farham, Ha, Hsiao, Kissani, Labastida-Ramirez, Ling, Lytvyak, Onan, Yener, Papetti, Ozge, Tanprawate, Vongvaivanich, Y.G. Wang, Wijeratne declare no conflict of interests. • L. Al-Hassany is a member of the Methodology and Statistics Editorial Board of Neurology and a member of the Junior Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain. • C.C. Chiang has received consulting fee from Pfizer, Satsuma and eNeura. She receives research grant from the American Heart Association, with funds paid to her institution. • S.J. Cho is a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain, and Headache and Pain Research; site investigator of trials sponsored by Allergan, AbbVie, Hyundai Pharmaceutical, Ildong Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Lundbeck; receiver of honoraria for speaking or consulting from Abbvie Inc, GC Biopharma, Teva-Handok, GC Biopharma Corporation, and Onagon Korea. • C. Els is funded by the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence, reports grants from Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, and was employed by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta. • D. Garcia-Azorin has received honoraria as a moderator from AbbVie, Eli-Lilly, Teva, Organon, Lundbeck, and Pfizer. He has received consulting fees from Eli-Lilly, Organon, and Lundbeck, and has been the PI in trials sponsored by BioHaven, Lundbeck, and Pfizer. He has received research grants from Eli-Lilly, Carlos III Health Research Institute, and Regional Health Administration. D. Garcia-Azorin is associate editor of The Journal of Headache and Pain, visual abstract editor of Cephalalgia and junior editor of Neurological Sciences. D. Garcia-Azorin is a member of the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety of the World Health Organization. • R. Ishii has served as a consultant for Amgen K.K., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He has received speaker honoraria from Amgen K.K., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. • B.K. Kim is on the Editorial Board of Journal of Clinical Neurology. He received honoraria as a moderator/speaker/advisor from Abbvie Korea, Teva-Handok, Lundbeck Korea, Pfizer Korea, Oganon Korea, Dong-A pharm, YuYu pharm, SK pharm, and Ildong pharm. • K.S. Lange reports a research grant from the International Headache Society; and personal fees from Teva; Organon. • L.L.H. Pan is a member of the Junior Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain. • L. Pellesi is member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain, BMC Neurology and European Journal of Medical Research; Editor-in-Training for Clinical and Translational Science. • P. Martelletti serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Headache and Pain and SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine and also serves as Expert EU Member at European Medicines Agency. • B. Raffaelli reports research grants from Lundbeck; Novartis; the German Research Foundation (DFG); and Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung and personal fees from Abbvie/Allergan; Eli Lilly; Lundbeck; Novartis; Organon; Perfood; Teva. • A. Raggi is the Associate Editor of The Journal of Headache and Pain; Head of Public Health Section of SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine. • S. Straube reports grants from the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, the Government of Alberta, and the Alberta Medical Association. Sebastian Straube also reports honoraria from the Occupational Medicine Specialists of Canada, the M.S.I. Foundation, the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence, and The Policy Works. • T. Takizawa is a consultant/advisor and/or serves on an advisory board for Eli Lilly, Otsuka, Amgen, Pfizer, and Teijin and has received speaker honoraria from Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, Otsuka, Amgen, Kowa, Kyowa Kirin, Eisai, UCB Japan, Takeda, Sawai, and Santen Pharmaceutical and grants from Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Tsumura outside the submitted work. • D. Uluduz has received honoraria as a moderator from AbbVie, Eli-Lilly; has received consulting fees from AbbVie, Eli-Lilly Turkey; and has been the PI in trials sponsored by Novartis. • M. Waliszewska-Prosół is on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain. • S.J. Wang has received honoraria as a moderator from AbbVie, Biogen, Eli-Lilly, Hava Biopharma, and Pfizer, has received consulting fees from AbbVie, Eli-Lilly Taiwan, Percept Co., and Pfizer Taiwan, and has been the PI in trials sponsored by Eli-Lilly, Lundbeck, and Novartis. He has received research grants from Taiwan branches of Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Orient Europharma. • J.W. Wu has received honoraria (as a speaker) from Biogen-Idec, Eli Lilly, Pflizer, AbbVie, and Organon & Co. He has received travel reimbursement and honoraria from American Academy of Neurology, International Headache Society, and Taiwan Headache Society. Also, he received research grants from the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology and Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The ICHD-3 criteria for tension-type headache and its subtypes. Tension-type headache includes episodic and chronic forms based on attack frequency. Episodic tension-type headache can be further divided into infrequent and frequent subtypes. TTH: tension-type headache
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pathophysiology of tension-type headache. The pathophysiology of tension-type headache involves genetic, molecular, muscular, vascular, and central factors. Key factors include genetic polymorphisms, neuroinflammatory mediators, muscular abnormalities, altered central pain modulation, and changes in cerebral hemodynamics. Created in BioRender. Wang, S. (2025) https://BioRender.com/fs561jc. 5-HT: 5-hydroxytryptamine; CGRP: calcitonin gene-related peptide; NE: norepinephrine
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Common comorbidities of tension-type headache. Tension-type headache commonly co-occurs with musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and psychological disorders. Created in BioRender. Wang, S. (2025) https://BioRender.com/0lbeodj IBS: irritable bowel syndrome; TMJ: temporomandibular joint; TTH: tension-type headache
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Overview of tension-type headache management strategies. Tension-type headache management includes pharmacological treatments (acute and preventive) and non-pharmacological interventions such as neuromodulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, lifestyle modifications, and patient education. Created in BioRender. Wang, S. (2025) https://BioRender.com/yt61fvz. NSAIDs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PNS: peripheral nerve stimulation; tDCS: transcranial direct current stimulation; rTMS: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Summary of lifestyle management strategies in tension-type headache. Key interventions include keeping headache diaries, alcohol and smoking management, and sleep regulation, each with varying evidence strength and clinical considerations. Created in BioRender. Wang, S. (2025)https://BioRender.com/ueqd7ss. CBT: cognitive behavioral therapy; RCT: randomized controlled trial; TTH: tension-type headache

Comment on

  • Hallmarks of primary headache: part 1 - migraine.
    Raggi A, Leonardi M, Arruda M, Caponnetto V, Castaldo M, Coppola G, Della Pietra A, Fan X, Garcia-Azorin D, Gazerani P, Grangeon L, Grazzi L, Hsiao FJ, Ihara K, Labastida-Ramirez A, Lange KS, Lisicki M, Marcassoli A, Montisano DA, Onan D, Onofri A, Pellesi L, Peres M, Petrušić I, Raffaelli B, Rubio-Beltran E, Straube A, Straube S, Takizawa T, Tana C, Tinelli M, Valeriani M, Vigneri S, Vuralli D, Waliszewska-Prosół M, Wang W, Wang Y, Wells-Gatnik W, Wijeratne T, Martelletti P. Raggi A, et al. J Headache Pain. 2024 Oct 31;25(1):189. doi: 10.1186/s10194-024-01889-x. J Headache Pain. 2024. PMID: 39482575 Free PMC article. Review.

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